Entertainment

Augmented Reality Makes You a French Soccer Champion

This spring, the New York Giants celebrated winning the 2012 NFL title by letting fans "wear" Super Bowl rings via an augmented reality app that was the first of its kind for the sports world.

Now, fans of international soccer can get in on the AR action with a virtual version of France's Trophee des Champions. (There's the hardware, at right, on my desk at Mashable's San Francisco office.)

Released in advance of a July 28 championship match between French clubs Montpellier and Olympique Lyonnais at New York City's Red Bull Arena, it's the first time augmented reality has been used to engage fans and promote an international sporting event. But when the Giants introduced the concept in May, seeing it catch on with the wider sports world wasn't hard to imagine.

The Trophee des Champions promotion is a partnership between France's Ligue de Football Professionnel, Front Row Marketing and the augmented reality app GoldRun, which also powered the Giants' Super Bowl promotion. The Trophee des Champions goes to the winner of an annual matchup between two of France's top domestic clubs.

“We are very excited to take our services to a new global level in sport through this app with the French Cup,” GoldRun co-founder Shailesh Rao said in a press release. “We had great success partnering with the New York Giants and their ring and Super Bowl trophies this past spring, and are looking forward to now taking that type of sport app to a global audience.”

To access the Trophee des Champions, along with a few other virtual pieces of French soccer memorabilia, download GoldRun from the App Store or Google Play. Then swipe through the carousel of featured "photobooths" and select the Trophee de Champions option. From there, using the app is simple and straightforward — pinch to shrink or enlarge the trophy, and use your camera to pose with it or set the virtual image someplace special before snapping away.

To use the app, you'll have to sign in with Facebook or Twitter. Then you'll have the option of sharing directly to those networks or simply emailing images to yourself or friends. Fans who share their photos on social media will become eligible for a range of prizes and rewards including a trip to New York for the July 28 match.

Toying around briefly with the Trophee des Champions app, it was a hard to capture an image that was more reality than augmented — but nonetheless it's a cool marketing move we expect to continue gaining traction among sports teams and fans.

What kind of future do you think augmented reality has in sports marketing? Share your predictions in the comments.

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.